


Neighsee

by ThatGoblin



Series: The Pack [8]
Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: F/M, Flirting, Gen, Horses, M/M, pun names are the best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-18
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:15:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23722225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatGoblin/pseuds/ThatGoblin
Summary: Link and Rhett surprise Wren with an addition to the family.
Relationships: Link Neal/Original Female Character(s), Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal, Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal/Original Female Character(s), Rhett McLaughlin/Original Character(s), Rhett McLaughlin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: The Pack [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1699129
Comments: 10
Kudos: 15





	Neighsee

I had no idea what the boys were planning. They were getting the truck and trailer out while I pulled on my boots and coat. I assumed we were going to get some cattle, but they didn’t confirm nor deny it. 

“So, where are we going?” I asked as I got into the truck with them. The snow had stopped falling a while ago, making it easier to pack down and walk on, despite not melting at all. 

“Going to the sale barn,” Rhett said as he drove us. “Got some things we’re gonna look at.”

“Like cattle? You finally going to get some highlands to mix with the herefords?” I asked. “I’ve been telling you, it’ll be a lot better sale if you bred them together.”

“We’re not getting highlands,” Link said with a smirk, shaking his head. “I don’t care how much you push, Darlin’, but highlands are not happening.”

“What have you got against them? They’re big and fuzzy and fun to look at,” I said.

“They’re too little,” Link said. “Wouldn’t be much better than breeding angus and hereford either. The ones we have are just fine.”

“What about just one? To have as a pet?” I asked. “They’re like giant puppies!”

“Yeah, puppies with horns that’ll tear into ya if ya piss’em off,” Rhett said with a snort. “If we changed breeds, we’d just go to angus. It’s not worth the work when they come out smaller than what we already have.”

“Could get a milk cow,” I said. “Then we’d have fresh milk everyday.”

“You wanna spend the time milking by hand twice a day?” Link asked, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind my ear. 

“I would do it,” I said defiantly. “I’d milk a cow by hand twice a day. That’s a lot of milk we could turn into butter and cream.”

“Not enough to justify buying a cow,” Rhett said as we pulled onto the interstate from our highway. “Too much milk and it’d go to waste.”

“Well fine then. A tiny cow. I’m sure they’ve got miniature cows. There’s miniature horses and other animals, why not cows?” I said.

“We’re not getting miniature animals,” Link said firmly, but still laughed when I opened my mouth to argue. He pressed a hand over my mouth to silence me, making me glare.

“Ah, peace and quiet,” Rhett said with a soft sigh. “Maybe we should gag her more often.” I growled behind the hand as Link kept it firmly in place, knowing I would go off on another tangent. 

“Shh,” Link hushed me as I began to grumble and try to argue from under his hand. He pulled me close to keep me still. “Just rela-Ow! No biting! No biting!” He cried, jerking his hand away.

“I warned you!” I cackled, snapping my teeth. Rhett chuckled as Link shook his hand. “Oh, I didn’t bite that hard. Whiner.”

“Kiss it, make it better,” Link pouted, holding out his finger to me. I sighed, rolling my eyes, but still kissed it gently. 

“Better?” I asked, curling up to him. 

“Much,” he said with a grin.

“You know, I think my thigh’s hurtin’ too,” Rhett said. “Like on the inside near my groin.”

“I’m not kissing your penis on the road,” I said with a snort.

“Damn it!” Rhett hissed, snapping his fingers. “It was worth a try at least.” 

The rest of the drive was much the same, teasing and playing with each other till we got to the sale barn. Rhett parked us off to the side, letting me get a look at what was being put up. 

It was horses.

“Are we getting another horse?!” I cried, grinning at them.

“Yeah, we’re gonna get another horse,” Link said, laughing at me jumping up and down excitedly. “Specifically your own horse.”

“I get my own horse!?” I shrieked, getting a few looks as I jumped on Link to kiss him all over his face before doing the same to Rhett. “Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” They didn’t even try to stop me. Linking my arms with theirs, we went over to the pins where the horses were being held. There weren’t too many, but I was just glad to see them. I’d gotten pretty good at working with Ollie the Buckskin mostly. Charlie the Palomino was more attached to Link and didn’t care so long as he was around. They were Rhett’s and Link’s horses though. They were big and older and knew their riders well. 

I wanted my own that I could have that relationship with. A smaller one preferably. But then again with the snow drifts getting tall and the waters in spring running deep, it was probably better if I picked out a taller one. At the horse pins, I looked over them all, seeing a wide range, but there was one that caught my eye. He looked just so deadpan and I loved it. I went over to his pin and looked over his information.

“Hi my name is Neighsee. I’m a three year old gelding camargue horse. I like to go for long rides and love apples and carrots,” I read aloud to the boys. “Awwww, Hi Neighsee,” I cooed. Making kissy noises and clicks, I lured him over for pets. I baby talked to him, stroking his face as he made the weirdest grunting noises that I couldn’t get enough of. 

“Neighsee,” Rhett said, looking over the card. “I don’t get it.”

“Like the Lochness Monster,” Link said. “It’s called Nessie. Get it? Neigh like a horse?”

“Okay, I get it,” Rhett said with a sigh as Link laughed. 

“Oh my god, he’s my child in horse form,” I whimpered as I kept loving on the horse who was having the time of his life. His face looked like he hated everything, but was so sweet. “I would like this guy, please.”

“Well, we’ll place our bid and do our best,” Rhett said, holding his hand out to let Neighsee smell and work his lips at in curiosity. “You wanna look at any others in case we can’t get him?”

“No, because then I’m gonna want all of them and we don’t have a big enough trailer for that,” I said, standing on the fence to stroke the horse’s mane. He was white with gray shading over his body with near white blond mane and tail. He was still pretty tall, but I could easily see over his back.

“You sure? I don’t want ya to leave disappointed and empty handed,” Link said, leaning against the fence. 

“I’m sure,” I nodded. I was going to get this horse. Neighsee and I were already bonding, I didn’t think I’d be able to move from him to another horse so easily and it had just been a few minutes. 

“Alright,” Link said with a nod. “The auction’s gonna start soon, let’s go get a seat and some coffee to warm up.” Giving Neighsee one last hug and kiss, I followed the boys into the auction house. It was loud and filled with people chatting and getting numbers for different auctions as well as getting some greasy food from a small kitchen that was serving hamburgers and fries. The coffee was free though, so we each got our own cup the way we liked it before finding some seats. Sat between the two Alphas, I looked around and watched people interacting. It had been a while since I’d been to a sale, but even across the state they were all the same. Local farmers and ranchers talking to each other about crops and herds as well as neighbors they both knew or people they knew that had moved or sold their land. 

Different place, but same ol’ talk. It was nice to know that no matter who was there, people still acted the same despite what they thought. Soon enough the sale started though and that meant looking out for my horse. He was the only white one and it seemed most of the folks there were looking for horses to either get for a starter horse or a workhorse. Neighsee seemed to have been a show horse and I was hoping that worked in my favor. 

A few rounds went by with mostly painted ponies and a few mustangs, then Neighsee was up. He was led around the show pin, trotting and walking as the bidding began. Rhett was covering us with the bidding, leaving me free to hold Link’s hand in a near death grip. Starting at $3000, I was sure that we’d be the only bidders. Turns out I was wrong.

There was an older gentleman there with his husband, bidding against us. The price went up by $100 then suddenly shot up to $4000. The couple wouldn’t stop though. They kept going till the price was $6000. We couldn’t go above that, there was no way. 

“I’m sorry Sweetheart,” Rhett said as the auctioneer gave the older couple the sale. “I know you had your heart set on getting him.” I deflated, releasing my hold on Link’s hand as Neighsee was taken away to be loaded up and paid for. 

“It’s not your fault,” I said, leaning against him. “You did your best.” 

“You wanna look at the other horses to come through?” Link asked, rubbing my back.

“Okay,” I nodded, putting on a smile. I was really disappointed in not getting Neighsee, but I didn’t want to have gone there for nothing. We sat through a few more auctions, all of them older horses or barely a year old. They were all probably nice, but practicality won out. I couldn’t work with a young horse, gelding or mare, and the older ones were more for pets than actual work animals. Once everyone went through, I felt worse than before. There hadn’t been anyone that caught my eye and then we had to leave empty handed. 

“Come on, let's head home. Maybe we’ll find another sale later,” Link said, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as Rhett took my hand. I was down in the dumps, but there could be other horses. As we were getting into the truck, we were stopped by an older woman with blond hair. 

“Hi, my name’s Bethany and I was in the auction house watching today and saw you made a bid on Neighsee, right?” She said.

“Uh, yeah,” Rhett said with a nod. “Why?”

“Well, Neighsee was my wife’s horse, but then we moved and can’t keep him. We brought him up here for sale, but the people that made the winning bid can’t pay for him. Would y’all be interested in buying him? $4000 even?” She asked. “Sorry to come up on ya like this, but we really don’t have a place for him to go and need to get him a new home today.”

“Wren?” Rhett asked, turning to me with a smirk.

“Yes! We’ll take him!” I grinned, bouncing in my seat.

“Great, he’s already in the loading pin,” Bethany said with a relieved smile. 

“Link, you wanna go in to pay so I can back up the trailer?” Rhett asked.

“I can do it! I know how to drive and work with a trailer!” I said, already scooting over to take the driver’s seat. 

“You sure, Sweetheart?” Rhett asked with a chuckle as I nodded. “Alright then, here’s the keys, I’ll meet you out front.” He handed me the keys before walking into the auction house with the woman. 

“You know how to drive with a trailer?” Link asked as I adjusted the seat. 

“Yup! Been driving the cattle for my dad for years. I’d unload and load ‘em up by myself sometimes,” I said as I grinned. It was like riding a bike. I easily worked the truck and trailer around to drive to the loading pin. While a few older handlers gave me looks, I parked it without a problem. “Tada,” I said, looking at Link proudly. 

“Good job, Darlin’,” Link said with a chuckle.

“I like it when you praise me,” I said, making a funny smile at him. I was too excited for my own good. Shutting the truck off, Link helped me load Neighsee up. The horse seemed to know he was coming home with me for good, walking right into the trailer as I began to baby talk him again. He neighed and made his silly grunting noises as Link locked the trailer door in place and I stood on the wheel of the trailer to pet him through the window. 

“Alright, let’s go get Rhett and head out,” Link said. We shut the windows of the trailer so the cold air didn’t whip back into it and make Neighsee sick then got back in the pickup to drive around to the front where Rhett and Bethany were talking. Pulling up, Rhett shook Bethany’s hand before getting into the passenger side of the truck, putting Link in the middle. 

“Everything’s all set, let’s head home,” Rhett said. With everyone buckled in, I drove us home. The boys took the opportunity to cuddle, leaning on each other as I was busy being happy to drive with my horse in the back. 

At home, I backed the trailer up to the barn to park it. Neighsee was easy to handle and he followed me as I led him into the barn. There was already a prepped stable across from Olli and Charlie where I put my horse. It was real. He was my horse and I had my own horse. We’d have to get a saddle and equipment for me to ride him, but in the meantime I was going to love on him as much as I could.

“Don’t stay out here too long,” Link said as Rhett pulled the truck and trailer away to put them up. I was in the stables, getting Neighsee set up and comfortable. The stalls were big enough for one horse to have the space to lay down where they wanted, even roll around. A fresh bed of hay had been put down and I put a winter coat on him as well. 

“I won’t,” I said with a grin. I waved to Link as he and Rhett went to go inside after their horses were taken care of. Neighsee was new and I didn’t want to just plop him in a stall then leave him. I wanted to spend time with him as he got used to being in a new place. “Such a good boy,” I cooed as he rubbed on him and hugged him. 

I had a horse! My own horse that was mine and I could ride him whenever I wanted, when I had the equipment to, and I could pet him and cuddle him. The other horses weren’t as affectionate and didn’t let me love on them as much as Neighsee seemed to like. He would pull me close, wrap his long neck around me in almost a hug as we spent at least a few hours together. I was trying to say my goodnight when Link came out to get me.

“Hey, Wren. It’s time to come inside. It’s gettin’ cold out and they’re calling for possible ice,” he said. 

“A few more minutes, I’m saying goodnight right now,” I said, looking to the front of the barn where Link stood. 

“I’ll wait for ya. You said you’d be in after a bit earlier, it’s been a lot longer than a bit,” Link said with a chuckle. Turning back to Neighsee, I gave him the last kisses and hugs for the night before making sure he had everything he needed. Walking over to Link, I stood on my tippy toes to catch his lips. 

“Thank you, so much,” I said, wrapping my arms around him in a big hug.

“You’re very welcome,” he said before kissing me back. We checked the heater in the barn before shutting the door. The horses didn’t need to be as warm as we were, but it would drop below freezing real quick and we didn’t want them to get iced in. 

The rest of the evening went as usual. Dinner, showers, cuddles, then bed. Nothing we didn’t normally do. Once in awhile I’d wake up in the middle of the night and need to pee. That night was one of them.

At nearly 2 AM, I walked to the bathroom to do my business then went downstairs to get a glass of water. It was getting a bit colder as I listened to the ice start to fall so I added a few logs to the fire before going to get my drink. As I was sipping from my glass, the front door handle began to jiggle. I knew sometimes bears would come up to a house to investigate, but I hadn’t seen any around the ranch and the boys hadn’t said anything about seeing them. It was snowing though, they should have been hibernating. 

So what was outside pulling on the handle? 

Freezing in place, I watched as the door handle began to turn more violently, like someone was trying to break it open. There was grunting as well, making me fear there was a burglar or someone on the other side. Swallowing down my fear, I tried to look through the curtains, but could only see a big shadow. There was someone out there! Quietly as I could, scared the person would get more violent if I screamed, I crawled back up the stairs.

“Rhett! Link!” I hissed, rushing over to shake them awake. “Someone’s trying to break in!” Link always slept like a log, but Rhett was a light sleeper. He was the first one up as Link grabbed his glasses.

“What? What’s going on?” Link asked.

“There’s someone at the front door trying to break in,” I said softly. Rhett was already putting on pants and grabbing the handgun we kept in the dresser. It was always unloaded and we all knew how to use it, so it wasn’t a problem. 

“Stay up here,” Rhett said as Link grabbed the baseball bat from the corner. The two Alphas crept down the stairs as I watched from the doorway. Worrying my lip, my heart was pounding as they went to the front door. I could hear the handle still being worked at. 

“Who’s out there!?” Rhett barked. There was no answer, just more grunting as the handle kept being pulled despite being locked. “Whoever you are, we are armed and won’t hesitate to shoot!” I crouched by the bedroom door, watching as anxiety gripped me. “I’m opening the door and am armed! Back up!” On the count of three, they unlocked the door and threw open the front door. I couldn’t see what was happening or who was there, but there wasn’t any talking. No gun shots either. 

“Son of a bitch,” Link said before laughing. “Wren! Come down here and see who your prowler is.”

Confused and still a bit fearful, I walked down the stairs to see the front door open with Neighsee peeking in through the doorway.

“Are you kidding me!?” I cried, looking on as Neighsee kept trying to play with the handle, showing how he gripped it with his teeth to hold it. “It was my horse!?”

“It seems that someone is quite attached,” Link said, stroking the gelding’s neck.

“Oh my god, Neighsee, how the hell did you get out?” I cried, moving forward as Rhett moved to the bedroom to put the gun up. 

“Welp, from how he seems to be working the door handle, probably that way,” Link said, holding onto his bridle. 

“Jesus, scared me to death. I’ll put him up,” I said, shoving my bare feet into a pair of boots and pulling my coat on. 

“Don’t take too long. Just tie some twine around his stall door latch,” Link said as he let me take Neighsee’s bridle to lead him back to the barn. 

“I won’t,” I said. I was still in just baggy shorts so I was not going to waste time. Closing the door behind me, I took my horse back to his stall in the barn. The little shit had pushed the barn door open too! “You are going to get me in trouble,” I said with a sigh as I put him in his stall. Closing it and latching it, I looked around for some twine or even loose wire. No sooner had I found some wire, Neighsee had opened his door again. “Bud, no, you gotta go back. It’s night night time. Mommy’s gotta sleep. I’ll be back in the morning.” I grabbed his bridle to pull him back into the stall, but he was not going. 

“Bud, please? Come on, we’re tired. The boys out here are tired,” I whined, gesturing to Ollie and Charlie who looked on curiously. I had at least the mind to close the barn door so I didn’t have to run out in the snow to get him if he ran again. “Come on,” I said, clicking my tongue as I got in the stall. When I went in, he readily followed me, but wanted me to stay in the stall. “No, bud, I can’t. I gotta go back inside. It’s too cold for me out here.” My legs were covered in goosebumps and shaking despite the barn providing at least a bit of shelter from the wind and ice. “Just lay down. I’ll stay if you lay down,” I said. 

It was like trying to convince a toddler you’d stay in bed with them till they fell asleep. They didn’t believe you and just stayed up longer. I sat in the stall with him for a few minutes, nodding off a bit till he’d finally settled and laid down himself. Once I was sure that he wasn’t going to get up again, I exited the stall, making sure to lock the latch with the wire. “Stay inside. It’s too cold for this,” I said, rubbing my eyes. He neighed at me, making me feel bad. I reached out and stroked his face to calm him down, trying to get him to chill out. “Please bud?” I groaned. “Just relax. I’ll be back in the morning. You’ve got Ollie and Charlie to keep you company.” Another few minutes of me talking to him and reassuring him, Neighsee laid down in his stall. Double checking the latch, I sniffled as my nose started to run from the cold.

“I better not get sick,” I mumbled as I double checked the heater then turned the lights off before shutting the barn. I made sure to latch it on the outside as well, not wanting him to get out and lost in the storm. The ice had gotten bigger, turning into hail that pelted me as I ran for the house. Getting inside, I was surprised to see Rhett and Link still up and waiting for me. In the kitchen.

“Come on, get to bed,” Link said as I took off my boots and coat. Rhett wrapped an arm around me and felt over my body a moment. 

“Jesus, girl,” he hissed. “Get upstairs and under the covers, you’re freezing.”

“I’m trying,” I said. “You guys didn’t have to wait for me. I wasn’t trying to take my time.” 

“Yeah, well, we know how horses can get and you’re pretty attached to him,” Rhett said. Getting into bed, I was grateful for it still being warm from us sleeping in it. With Rhett and Link getting in on either side, I tried to get as close as possible. 

“Shit, Darlin’,” Link said. “You’re gonna catch pneumonia if you don’t watch it.”

“I know,” I said, pulling the covers up over my nose. Fairly quickly, we all fell back to sleep. 

In the morning when we were waking up, the storm had passed, leaving it slicker than snot outside. Trying to do as much as we could, we all pitched in to get chores done. Because of the ice, there wasn’t a lot. We checked the cattle, stocked up on firewood some more, then it was about noon when I was able to get some time to spend with Neighsee. I’d fed him that morning, finding him in a good mood, so I was glad to see he was still just as happy to see me in the afternoon.

“Hey bud,” I cooed. “I can spend some more time with you now. I’m dressed right and it’s not the middle of the fucking night. Naughty boy.” It was still not a good temperature for me to be hanging out in too long, so I kept my visit much shorter than the day before. He wasn’t happy about it, but I knew the boys would be on my case if I didn’t keep it short. “I’ll be back later tonight, I promise.” More hugs and kisses were given before I went back into the house.

“You know, I’m getting jealous of that horse,” Rhett said as I walked in. “He’s gotten more affection from Wren in the last 24 hours than we have in 2 months.”

“You’re not wrong there,” Link said with a chuckle.

“Would you like me to give you the same love and affection as my horse?” I asked, walking into the kitchen to see Rhett doing dishes while Link sat at the kitchen table with papers spread out and his laptop open to get bills paid. 

“Maybe,” Rhett said.

“Alright,” I said, walking over to him. “Who’s a good boy!? Who’s a good boy!?” I cooed, wiggling and rubbing on Rhett’s sides like I would Neighsee.

“This is not how you show affection!” Rhett cried, trying to move away as I gave him hard pats on the back. “This is abuse!”

“But Neighsee loves it!” I cackled, continuing my assault. “You wanted the same affection!”

“This is not what I asked for and you know it, brat!” Rhett cried as he moved away from me, soap suds still on his hands. “I wanted affection, not to be beat.”

“I mean, you also like it when I beat you,” Link said with a snicker.

“No, Bo, that’s beat off, not beat,” Rhett corrected him, sending me into a howling fit of laughter. 

“I know what I said,” Link said, giving him a wink. “I know how my boy likes to be spanked.”

“Oh my god,” I wheezed, holding my middle as Rhett sputtered a moment. 

“You shush, you’re just as bad,” Rhett huffed. “You like having your titties pinched.”

“We are not having this discussion,” I said, still laughing slightly. “Either way, you got the affection you asked for. You want some too?” I asked Link.

“More gentle affection please,” he said with a chuckle. 

“See, Link knows how to ask for what he wants,” I said, going over to the seated Alpha. I stood behind him to wrap my arms around him in a hug from behind, dropping a kiss and nuzzle to his cheek. 

“This is clear favoritism and I want a redo,” Rhett said as Link reached back to pull me into a kiss. I giggled against his lips, but didn’t pull away till he let me. 

“I’m sorry, baby,” I said, moving back over to him. “Would you like some nice pets and a kiss?”

“Yes please,” Rhett said, pouting a bit. I snorted, shaking my head a moment before pulling him down for a kiss, stroking his hair gently as his arms pulled me close. When he was relaxed and not expecting it, I started the hard pats again.

“Who’s a good boy!? You are! Yes you are!” I cooed as Rhett squawked and pulled away.

“I am not a horse! Do not pet me like one!” He cried, moving away as Link laughed from the table. 

“I mean, you are hung like one,” I said, wiggling my brows.

“True, but-” I hushed him with another kiss, giggling as he easily stopped his protest. 

“I could be a horse,” he mumbled against my lips with a smirk. “You wanna ride me, Sweetheart?”

“And you’ve ruined the moment,” I said, pulling away with a grin. 

“You started it!” He cried. “I was just finishing it.”

“Uh huh. You certainly were,” I said, nodding as I took a seat at the table with Link. 

“I was,” Rhett said, turning to finish up the dishes. “I just have to clear up the dishes as well. Because I’m a good mate.”

“Yes you are, you’re a very good mate,” Link cooed from his spot at the table.

“Don’t you start too!” Rhett groaned. “I get no respect in this house.”

“I respect you,” I said. “I respect that ass.”

“Damn right you do,” Rhett said with a snort. “Everyone respects my ass.” 

We hadn’t flirted so much before, usually taking it easy around each other unless it was date night, but it felt natural after a while. Like the dividers had been lifted and we were giving ourselves permission to let our walls down. All because of a horse.

**Author's Note:**

> I have to give credit of the horse name to my friend. I died after I asked her for help naming Wren's horse. Also, would you guys be interested in a tumblr for this series where I post stuff to kinda show the pack's house and ranch and horses and them in general? Lemme know!


End file.
